1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to telephone base structures.
2. Background Art
A telephone comprises a handset and a base structure for supporting a handset. The base structure may comprise a single base member or a base member and a support member for the base member and which holds the base member in a particular orientation relative to a supporting surface such as a desk top. In all forms of base structure, it is a customer requirement that the structures are stably supported upon horizontal support surfaces as a rocking unstable movement may be aggravating. Where a structure has no support member for the base member, an instability problem may not be present, because of manufacturing controls. Nevertheless distortion of parts of a base member during shrinkage after molding may result in an non-planar underwall which cannot provide simultaneous contact in all required positions with a horizontal support surface to prevent a rocking motion of the base member during use of the telephone. In structures where a support member is provided, this may be detachable from the base member for the purpose of enabling the base member to be supported in different angles of orientation either upon a horizontal support surface or upon a wall. Support instability problems upon horizontal surfaces increase, with use of detachable support members where an underwall of the base structure is provided by an underwall portion of the base member and an underwall portion of the detachably mounted support member as these underwall portions need to be perfectly coplanar to prevent support instability. Assembly tolerances add to the shrinkage problems after molding to aggravate in the support problem in this type of base structure.
The present invention seeks to provide a telephone base structure which avoids or minimizes the support instability problem.